Those Three Little Words
by smilee.shortee
Summary: When you need to say something, you need to say it. And Percy's got just the way to do it.


**Here's a quick something I came up with today after spending most of the day sick in bed. I really, **_**really**_** love Percy and Annabeth together and I'm pretty sure they never said the three little words out loud. They're young, but they've gone through so much with each other. **

**Rick Riordan owns all of the characters. Thank God that he created them in the first place. :)**

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"Percy, I swear to the gods, if you don't give me that blueprint _right now_-"

"Or what?" I laugh, holding the rolled up papers above my head. Annabeth gives up reaching for them and crosses her arms, eyes blazing. I momentarily admire the beauty of her grey eyes against her tan skin before smirking some more and lowering the blueprints only slightly, letting my arm rest a bit.

She raises her hand and drapes her arm over my shoulder, moving in close. Annabeth watches her fingers dance over my chest and along my neck, up to my jaw and stroking my cheek. It takes most of my power now to pull her closer; she's standing so near already, and yet…

"Give me the blueprints, Percy. Please?" She bats her eyelashes and smiles winningly up at me. Somewhere in the back of my head I hear Grover's voice, warning me against her trick-

Wait. I hear _Grover's _voice?

Anyhow, I realize my weakness and I straighten up, backing away from her.

"No, I don't think so." I grin, proud of my self-control.

She throws her hands in the air.

"What? What do you want?" She asks, irritated. I sit down on the edge of the work desk, twirling the blueprint on my fingers.

"What do I want?" I repeat, thinking deeply. "I want…"

"If you ask for a pet turtle again, I'm telling you, it's really _not _a good idea."

I pout.

"I didn't _mean_ to lose him." I mutter, dropping the papers into my lap. "I'm sure he found a good home."

"I'm sure he was a good meal." Annabeth corrects dryly. I glare at her and she lets out a laugh.

"What I want," I continue, still giving her my best stink-eye. "is for you to come with me."

"Come with you _where_?" Annabeth is suspicious. I try to look innocent.

"Oh, just the lake. Tonight." I flash a big smile at her, showing off my pearly whites. She puts her hands on her hips and blows her curly hair out of her face.

"All this," she motions to the blueprint in my lap. "for a date? Gods, Percy, you could of just asked me."

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it?" I hold out the papers. "So, is that a yes?"

Annabeth rolls her eyes but takes the blueprint from me

"Of course. Now get out. I've got to take a look at these."

I grin and bound over to the doorway.

"See you after dinner. Oh, but don't eat anything. Be ready by nine."

"But I'll be _starving_-!"

I'm already out of the cabin.

(PARAGRAPH BREAK ;] )

"You should feel guilty," Grover says, glowering at me. "Making Annabeth go hungry and all."

I do feel a _tad_ bit guilty, but I explain to Grover for the umpteenth time that I'll more than make up for it.

"Still," he mumbles, looking wistfully at the mess hall. "Food."

"Just help me light these candles, will you?"

I can't help but think how pathetically _romantic _this whole set up is and I wonder if Annabeth will make fun of me for it. I sure hope not. For the last two weeks everyone at camp has practically sent us congratulation cards on _finally_ getting together.

"Oh, we've been shipping you two for years," Grover told me one day. "It was only a matter of time. But hey, at least I haven't turned out to be the third wheel I thought I would be. I've got Juniper! Oh, and about your turtle… I think I saw his shell at the edge of the forest yesterday. Sorry about that man. He was a good turtle. I mean, I know you only had him for like, seven hours, but still, he must of meant a lot to you."

I wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

When night falls the site is complete. It's only missing one thing.

"Thanks a lot for helping, dude." I pat Grover awkwardly on the back, still thinking about how he almost caught the deck on fire a couple of times.

"No problem." He shuffles away a bit. "Hey, before I leave, do you have any soda cans, by chance?" He looks at me hopefully.

"Uh, yeah, back in my cabin. They're in the recycling bin." Only it's no longer labeled recycling bin anymore. Instead it has a paper taped over it and written on the paper is: _Grover's Food Stash_. Grover swells up happily and prances away.

I straighten a few things before going to my cabin as well. Grover's already gone, and so is my pile of cans and other recyclables/Grover eatables. I change my clothes into something that I hope looks at least slightly tactful and walk over to Annabeth's cabin. I have to stand in front of her door for a moment or two, trying to calm my breath.

_Just a date_, I tell myself, taking a deep breath. _Just what normal kids do_. Only, we aren't normal, are we?

I knock instead of just bursting in, like I have the tendency to do. Annabeth's been trying to train me out of _that _habit. Wobbling back and forth on the balls of my feet, I wait impatiently as I hear rustling coming from inside. If she doesn't open the door soon, I'm going to and run back to my cabin, hide under my sheets, and be sick. The butterflies are raging. Butterflies? Oh, gods, my stomach is churning, my head is spinning, my hands are sweating, and the darn door isn't opening-

The door flies open and there stands Annabeth, looking like a goddess, for all that it's worth. Her blonde hair curls around her shoulders, some pieces pinned back from her face. She's wearing a dress - a flowing, light blue one, with little thin straps and sandals to match it. Her face is made up with only a substantial amount of makeup, and, well, she looks absolutely beautiful.

I stammer for words for a moment.

"I - hi - you look - hi - um - hi." I want to smack myself. "Hi," I say again.

"Hi," she smiles at me.

"You look, erm, really… uh…"

She rolls her eyes and glances back into the cabin.

"Aphrodite cabin insisted that they make me over." I can hear giggling from inside.

"You look amazing." I finally get out. She grins and shuts the door, muffling a "you're welcome, Percy!"

I lead her to the lake, our hands clasped and swinging between us. We talk about Grover and Juniper, about the Aphrodite cabin and the bets they had placed on us, about my turtle.

"We're here," I say. I let her look around.

Annabeth is quite for a few moments, her eyes simply flickering around to take in the entire scene. On the deck is a line of candles leading to a row boat. Neatly placed on the row boat is a checkered table cloth, a single flame, and a picnic basket.

I look to her eagerly, my pulse ten times the rate it should be. _Does she like it? Oh, please, tell me that this isn't too cheesy for her. Maybe I should of just taken her to pizza. Pizza? No, can't do that. No pizza place for miles. Ugh. It's too complicated to be a demi-god._

Finally, she turns to look at me.

"Oh, Percy," she said, her hand to her mouth. "It's… it's amazing. You did all of this for me?"

I nod my head, blushing in the moonlight. I squeeze her hand and lead her down the dock and help her into the boat, steading the vessel as she climbs in. I take a seat opposite of her and launch the boat into the rippling water.

She's silent as I row us into the lake, going until the shore begins to look distant. I stop and rest my arms and look across the steadily flickering candle at Annabeth. She sitting there, gazing at me, a peculiar look on her face.

"What?" I ask, immediately wiping my face. "I don't have anything on me, do I?"

She laughs. "No, don't worry." She looks away, biting her lip. I'm afraid she feels awkward, out here on the lake with me, so I hurry to get the picnic basket open and lay out an assortment of sandwiches and cookies on the checkered cloth in the middle of the boat.

"I know it's not much," I say, running a hand through my hair. "But Grover makes a mean peanut butter sandwich." Annabeth takes the sandwich nearest her and takes a bite.

"Mmm," she says, swallowing. "This one is jelly."

"Grover's handiwork."

I watch her eat and I can't help but think how lucky I am to have her sitting there, across from me, glowing in the moonlight. To have her alive. To have her be mine.

Mine?

I twist my lips and look away. _Deep breaths, Percy. _I tell myself. _It's now or never. _Actually, I try to reason with myself, I have plenty of time. I don't need to tell her now.

But the feeling in the pit of my stomach, it's growing. Gnawing at me, urging me on. I remember watching the Little Mermaid with my mom when I was young (or what bits I did watch, seeing as I was a hyperactive, ever moving fire ball) and I suddenly feel like that Prince dude. Prince Enrique? Prince Erin? Isn't Erin a girl's name? Prince Eric? Anyway, I suddenly feel like _him_. I wonder briefly if a crab is going to leap out of the water and start singing _Kiss the Girl_.

Annabeth continues eating, munching contently as she mulls over something in her head. She looks at the stars, at the water, at the candle, but not at me.

Now or never. My heart is in my throat and I can barely breath but I need to say it or I never will and gods she looks so beautiful right here, right now, and she needs to know, she needs to know-

"I love you, Annabeth." I blurt out, my voice strange to my ears.

Her head snaps forward and her eyes go to mine but mine are closed and I'm breathing heavily. Oh gods, oh gods what did I just do? Why'd I tell her on a boat in the middle of a lake? No escape here. She's not saying anything and the water seems so welcoming and maybe I can jump in and sink to the bottom and never come up so she'll never have to see my red face again.

"Annabeth," I say, not opening my eyes, my hands grasping each other so hard it hurts. "Please say _something_ because I think I'm about to barf-"

"I love you too, Percy," she whispers.

I open my eyes, not really computing what she just said. I take her in, the way her hair falls, how her dress looks against her skin, the color of her eyes in the moonlight, that expression on her face… did she just say-?

"I love you." She repeats, and smiles shyly. "It's silly but, I really, really do."

I'm pretty sure my jaw is unhinged and at my feet.

"Really?" I ask, senses slowly returning.

"Really." She leans towards me, moving the candle out of the way. "Hello? Seaweed brain? Anyone home?"

"You love me," I repeat once more, just to make sure.

"Yes."

"I love you?" I say, and she rolls her eyes.

"Well, you just said so yourself a few seconds ago."

"I love you." I grin, finally grasping the situation. "Gods, I love you! And you, you love me!" I'm laughing now and leaning forward to meet her halfway, to kiss her. She smiles playfully and the kiss feels like everything good in my life, everything Annabeth, amplified by a billion.

And then theres a sound from the shore. A blowing of a horn. And… and cheers? And a megaphone, and, oh gods-

"HOORAY FOR PERCY, FOR FINALLY FINDING HIS BALLS!"

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**Oh, how I love Clarisse. Tell me what you thought of it, peerrrty pleaaase :)**


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